


white-hot bombs of love.

by redhoods



Series: fictober 2019. [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Amortentia, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, for d&d
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-22 06:49:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20869970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoods/pseuds/redhoods
Summary: “curious one, aren’t you?” she asks and tips the bottle a little, so the liquid moves.it reminds him of jester’s magic, pink and sparkly, though it moves strangely, not quite like fluid should. the bottle is simply shaped, though with some gold gilding and the top is like the crystal stopper of a decanter, rather than for a simple potion vial.“i am always curious,” caleb says then, because it’s easier to give blunt truths than try to bluster. it’s just him and her here now, the alley around them devoid in a way that rankles him a bit.





	white-hot bombs of love.

**Author's Note:**

> fictober day two - potion.
> 
> i haven't written anything for these too tired lads in a while, feels kinda good.
> 
> unbeta'd and capitalization can take a hike.

the woman—witch, caleb’s brain supplies—grins at him. her teeth are too white, too straight, and not at all sharp like he thinks they should be. “now, now, no need for hostilities,” she croons at him, hands aloft in front of her, flicking her gaze briefly to the fire as it gathers in his palm.

he narrows his gaze at her, then the bottle in her hand, back to her face. 

it’s too late though, she’s seen him.

“curious one, aren’t you?” she asks and tips the bottle a little, so the liquid moves.

it reminds him of jester’s magic, pink and sparkly, though it moves strangely, not quite like fluid should. the bottle is simply shaped, though with some gold gilding and the top is like the crystal stopper of a decanter, rather than for a simple potion vial.

“i am always curious,” caleb says then, because it’s easier to give blunt truths than try to bluster. it’s just him and her here now, the alley around them devoid in a way that rankles him a bit.

she clicks her tongue, “you know what they say about curiosity and cats, don’t you?”

he laughs and it’s more hollow than he means, releases his hold of the fire to snap his fingers. frumpkin slinks into existence at his feet, prawls towards the woman, before turning back to circle his legs. “i’m very aware of what they say. it hasn’t caught me yet.”

“due time,” she says, eyes dipping to watch frumpkin with a tilt of her head. then blinks and flicks her gaze right back to his face, “so, curious,” she goes on, “curious magic man, would you like a potion?”

_yes_, he thinks immediately, but holds himself back. caleb tilts his head back and forth at her, “i know nothing about that potion or what it’s worth may be.” and doesn’t add that his pockets are mostly empty, the coin he has left saved for making sure he’ll have food on his plate without having to mooch off the others any further.

she smiles, saccharine and false, but wiggles the bottle, “this isn’t the sort of potion you imbibe,” she explains and he tries to listen for any lie in her words, finds none.

“and what is it you’re supposed to do with it then?” he asks, because she’s waiting for him to.

her nails are a lacquered bright red and she taps one on her chin until caleb sighs noisily. she laughs and it grates his nerves with how it echoes off the brick buildings on either side of them. “dear little wizard, you smell it.”

his expression drops, but hers does not, “are you offering me drugs?”

he wishes beau were here.

the woman blinks at him, clearly startled, “drugs?” she asks, incredulous and then shakes her head, “nothing of the sort.” she tilts her head, twirls the bottle, “it’s merely an experience of sorts.”

“explain.” he thinks of the honey in his bag, spell on the tip of his tongue, but he refrains.

she sighs heavily, “can’t let a woman have her fun, can you?” she shakes her head and musters again, “this is a love potion of sorts, if you will,” and holds up her hand before he can interrupt once more, “not the sort you’re thinking, i’m certain. you see, each person smells something different.”

caleb squints at her.

“yes, yes, please do try to be patient,” she shifts the bottle into the light and it catches like stained glass, streaking faintly pink light across the alley. “you see, it’s said that this potion smells like one’s soulmate.”

he snorts, loud and obnoxious, like he’s not wondering if it will smell like sea water and leather and freshly turned earth. “do i seem the sort to believe in soulmates?” 

she grins at him and he feels seen through, “i’ll tell you what,” she says, suddenly charitable, “i’ll let you have this,” she even holds it out to the space between them, the yards of distance caleb was careful to keep between them.

much to his bewilderment, frumpkin trots to her, like he’s unbothered and unaware of caleb’s feelings on this woman. even when he caleb tries to call him back through their bond. he frowns at his cat, “what is the catch?” he asks, because he is curious and there is always a catch.

the woman looks to frumpkin then to him, “fine, a gold piece then,” she amends and wiggles the bottle.

frumpkin butts against her legs, winds around them and she seems unbothered.

caleb frowns at the whole display, then sighs through his teeth and pulls out a gold piece. his free hand, he keeps ready, palm open, ready to fire bolt the woman in the face if he must as he edges hesitantly forward.

“there we go,” she says and places the bottle in his palm, lets him tip the coin into her own without any contact being made from their skin.

“caleb!” it’s fjord at the end of the alleyway.

“and that’s my cue!” the woman turns and caleb glances down the alleyway, sees fjord approaching, but when he looks back, she’s gone and frumpkin is sitting in the place she was staring at him.

fjord’s footsteps slow not far from him, “who were you talking to?”

caleb turns, pushes some hair behind his ear as he palms the bottle into his pocket, “ah, just a random woman, she wanted directions,” he lies, though he can tell as soon as he does that fjord doesn’t believe him.

“uh huh, and what language was that?”

shiebe. he hadn’t even realized he’d swapped languages, rubbing at his jaw, his eyebrows pull together, “ah, must have been sylvan?”

fjord nods slowly, but doesn’t call him out any further, “well, the others are waiting. beau and jester are hungry,” he says and offers an arm that caleb barely hesitates before taking. “beau owes me two gold, she said you’d be in a bookshop, so dinner’s on me.”

caleb muffles a sound and turns before they leave the alley to snap frumpkin away once more, “you bet against me being in a bookshop?”

when he glances back, fjord’s face is a little ruddy, ears tucked in, “i know you said you needed to pick up some components before we all split up, figured you’d still be searching.”

“ja, i did say that,” he says slowly, “i only just finished before that woman stopped me.”

fjord offers him one of his small smiles, somehow more sincere, especially with his tusks breaking it up, “i’m glad you found everything,” and offers nothing else for the rest of the walk.

\-----

later, after dinner, when caleb is too full and warm to the brim, he settles cross legged on his inn bed and rolls the vial in his palm. he’s already tried to identify it, but the spell came up with nothing. he has to admit he’s curious and he’s pretty sure he shouldn’t actually smell it, but his curiosity is winning out.

of course, he’s about to remove the stopper when jester bursts in.

and they both freeze, her half hanging off his door, and him posed to open the bottle.

then she grins and bumps the door shut with her hip, “cay-leb!” she draws his name out super long, “what have you got there?” she asks and bounds over, practically jumps on the bed, enough force at least to bounce him a little.

he looks between the bottle and her and thinks it’s too late to lie, “it is a... a love potion,” he says, feeling the way his face gets hot.

she gasps and clasps her cheeks, “caleb!” she says again, quick and surprised, “are you going to give someone a love potion?” she wiggles her eyebrows and leans close, “be honest, it was for me, wasn’t it?”

a laugh bursts out of him and she grins even wider as she sits back and waves her hand at him, “no, of course not, that’s silly,” she winks, “you’d be giving it to fjord.”

he splutters and chokes a little on his own spit and loses his breath when she leans over to pound his back once with the flat of her palm, “it is—” he coughs a few times, “—it is not that sort of love potion, jester.”

“oh?” she wiggles a little, until their knees are nearly touching, glancing at the bottle curiously, “what sort is it then?”

“i was told,” caleb hedges slowly, “that if you smell it, it should smell like your soulmate.”

jester perks immediately, wiggling even more, “so what did you smell?”

“i, ah, haven’t smelled it yet?”

“well why not!” she shoos at him with her hands, “smell it so i can next!”

he squints at her, then figures what’s so wrong with smelling it when he’s got a cleric right here in front of him? he trusts jester to help him should things go wrong, or to get help if she can’t. “ja, okay,” he says, and pulls the little stopper.

bringing the bottle closer, he inhales deeply.

jester is staring at him with very wide eyes.

and he opens his mouth to tell her there’s nothing to it, but then he’s bowled over by the smells.

sea air.

leather.

fresh earth.

caleb coughs and jester is still looking at him expectantly, her tail lashing excitedly through the air.

“soooo? what did you smell?” she asks, planting her hands on his knees and shaking him just a little, the spade of her tail even pokes him on the cheek.

“i... will tell you if you smell it and tell me what you smell too,” he offers, holding the bottle out to her face, eyebrows lifting. his face is too warm, he knows he’s blushing, but he can’t bring himself to tell her just yet, not while his mind is spinning in crazy circles.

maybe it just smells like what you’re hoping? expecting?

there’s got to be a logical explanation.

“deal!” she chirps almost immediately and leans in, taking a deep whiff from the bottle without even taking it from his hands.

he watches her face closely and he can tell as soon as the scent takes over because she actually jolts in place, then sneezes, her nose wrinkling up. pushing the stopper back into the bottle, he places it on the table next to the bed before settling back to look at jester.

she squints at him, “you first.”

caleb clears his throat, rubs at his fresh shaven jaw, “it smelled like fjord,” he says quietly, looking down at his lap.

and jester actually squeals then, bounces excitedly, “caleb!” she doesn’t wait for him to look at her, “it smelled like beau when i smelled it!”

“like sweat and ale?” he asks and winces when jester socks him in the arm, even if he certainly deserved it.

“caleb! do you know what this means?” she asks then, taking his shoulders in her hand. her eyes are so big and bright now, excitement barely contained in her.

he presses his lips together and shakes his head, “that we’re both hopeless romantics?” 

jester makes an affronted sound and releases him to tip over backwards on the bed with a dramatic sigh, “caleb!” she turns to kick her legs out and he bites back a scold when her boots land on his pillow, but he doesn’t have it in him. “this feels like a sign!”

“a sign,” he echoes flatly.

and then jester bounces up suddenly, bounding for the door, “i’m going to see beau!” she says and the door opens narrowly avoiding bumping her and she barrels right on, like she’s not expecting someone to be on the other side.

“whoa, jessie, where’s the fire?” he hears fjord ask.

“in caleb’s bed!” she calls, her voice floating down the hall, her stomping footsteps fading a little as she heads down the hall.

fjord steps into the room, looking a little bewildered, “everything okay in here, cay?”

“oh, ja,” caleb says, heart in his throat suddenly as he twists his hands in his lap, hoping that fjord doesn’t notice the bottle sitting on the table next to him.

the deities aren’t listening though because fjord’s amber eyes alight on it almost immediately, “oh is that what you were hiding earlier?” he says curiously, nudging the door shut and already closing the distance towards the table.

caleb should swipe it up, but that would make it far too obvious, so he only nods, “ja,” he answers, licks his lips, “you are becoming far too perceptive, mein freund.”

fjord offers him that same small smile, “may i?” he gestures at the bottle, his claws glinting briefly in the candlelight.

“of course, be my guest,” caleb waves his hand a little unnecessarily, “smell it,” he offers then, when fjord hesitates after picking it up.

“smell it?” fjord’s eyebrows draw together, the scar on his forehead shifting with the movement, but he removes the stopper and seems almost shy as he brings it up to take a sniff. caleb’s half expecting sneezes, but they don’t come, instead fjord frowns a little, lowering it, “i don’t smell anything different.”

caleb frowns, his heart tripping a little. of course, it was stupid to even think. he shrugs, “well, what do you smell now?”

fjord’s frown falls away and he looks a little thoughtful, “ink,” he says first, immediate, and seems not to notice the way caleb looks to his own ink stained hands, “wood smoke, frumpkin?”

oh.

caleb hiccups out a weird sound, choking a little.

“what is it? are you alright?” fjord is so gentle when he replaces the stopper, lowers the bottle back to the table, and then sits on the edge of the bed, a hand hovering in caleb’s direction, waiting for a response before he touches.

somewhere he hears jester crow, “i knew it!”

fjord snorts and shakes his head.

“ah,” caleb says quietly, breathes out, “it is a love potion of sorts,” he explains, intently focused on his hands, “supposedly, what you smell is supposed to be what your soulmate will smell like.” 

next to him, fjord makes a bit of a strangled sound and his weight lifts off the bed, “i’m going to—”

caleb jerks up then, on the opposite side of the bed, and they end up staring at each other over it. “wait,” he says—”wait,” fjord echoes immediately then rolls his eyes at himself—and is very endeared by the sight of fjord presently. his face is all ruddy, splotchy with a blush, ears tucked in, chin towards his chest. “fjord, wait, bitte.”

fjord looks from the door to him, then nods slowly.

“you didn’t let me tell you what i smelled,” he says carefully, his face beyond hot now, but he’s started and now he’s got to barrel through, “it smelled like sea air and leather and fresh earth,” he lists off carefully, watches fjord’s shoulders droop, his ears dip, his jaw even opens a little.

“oh,” fjord says very quietly.

“that’s you, in case you didn’t know,” caleb blurts.

fjord nods earnestly then, “yeah, yep, i very much got that,” he explains.

“can i—” caleb stops, cause he’s not sure how to even ask that, “i’d really like to kiss you, fjord,” he says instead.

“oh,” fjord says again.

then after a few seconds of the two of them staring at each other, fjord jolts suddenly, crossing around the end of the bed in a few long strides, “oh! i’d, uh,” he pauses, when there’s barely a foot between them, “i’d really like that.”

caleb huffs a quiet laugh, closing the distance and reaching up with one hand to cup fjord’s cheek, inhaling quietly at the way fjord nuzzles into it, “handsome,” he says quietly.

fjord hums quietly, kisses his palm, then leans in to press their lips together, chaste and easy.

the door bangs open and they leap apart, like they’ve been caught doing something they’re not supposed to. jester comes clomping through the room, beau precariously balanced on her shoulders, the both of them cackling like crazy.

“i knew it!” jester singsongs and dumps beau on the bed, before squeezing caleb into a too tight hug.

beau laughs, bouncing right up from the bed to her feet, “jes, let the man breathe!” she slugs fjord on the arm then, “bow chicka bow wow!” 

fjord plants his palm on her face and pushes her away, “stop it.”

“come on, jessie!” beau says with a laugh, ducking under his arm to jab him in the ribs with a finger, before she latches onto jester’s arm and starts tugging her away, “lets go make out in our room,” she says and they sweep out just as fast as they could, jester’s giggles filling the air.

“well,” caleb says quietly.

“well,” fjord agrees.

caleb is the first to crack, dissolving into laughter as he sinks onto the edge of the bed, but fjord follows him shortly, the two of them tipping together so their shoulders press. “there’s going to be no living with them,” he points out.

fjord’s arm slides around him and he can’t help the happy sound that escapes him as he tucks into fjord’s side, “i think we could outdo them,” fjord says, shyly, but he’s grinning so hard his cheeks must hurt.

“it’s worth the effort,” caleb replies sagely, reaching up to touch fjord’s chin, tipping it his way, so he can lift up and press their lips together again.


End file.
